World Happy Jack is entering its 25th season. It's a highly competitive world with veteran owners. We prefer to have owners with HBD, MLB or other Dynasty experience, but we've had success with newer owners in the past. HJ is not an "anything-goes" world ... there are win minimums and other rules, designed to ensure fairness and a level playing field among all owners. Trade rape, tanking and other common manipulations make Jack very un-Happy.

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Hardball Dynasty – AL North Franchise Profile -- TAKEN

Franchise has some talent -- including five-time All-Star Edwin Perez. Pitching was poor last season, despite being in a mostly neutral park, so improvement there could propel the team into the playoffs.

This franchise has had just two owners in the last 20 seasons. It missed the playoffs last season but made them the previous two, one division title and one wild card. It has very good pitching and defense ready to go!

John Dwight Chesbro (June 5, 1874 – November 6, 1931) was a Major League Baseball pitcher at the turn of the 20th century. He was the last major league pitcher to win 40 games or more in a single season until Ed Walsh did it in 1908. Chesbro was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946.

Nicknamed "Happy Jack", Chesbro, a spitballer (spitballs were legal until 1920), broke into the majors in 1899 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had a 21-10 record with a 2.38 ERA in 1901 and a 28-6 record with a 2.17 ERA in 1902. His 28 wins led the National League.

In 1903 Chesbro moved to the newly formed New York Highlanders (soon to be New York Yankees) and pitched the franchise's first game. He finished the season with a 21-15 record.

In 1904, he had one of the finest years in the history of pitching, winning 41 games. He started 51 games and finished 48 while posting a 1.82 ERA, 239 strikeouts, and 454.7 innings. He nearly led the Highlanders to the 1904 American League pennant over the Boston Americans, but lost the last game of the season when one of his spitballs got away from him in the top of the ninth. Boston scored on the resulting wild pitch, and the Highlanders were shut out in the bottom frame.

His 41 wins are the most ever for a modern-era baseball season. In addition to his 51 starts, he also made 4 relief appearances, getting a decision in 96% of them, for a record of 41-12. Under current playing practices, where teams typically maintain a four- or five-man pitching rotation, his record is virtually unbreakable: the only pitcher since World War II to win 30 or more games in a season was Denny McLain who went 31-6 in 1968.

Owners must win at least 120 games over any two seasons, or face expulsion. (tentatively approved 10/2011)

Buying and selling of players (via trade) is not acceptable. Cash in trades should be avoided where not necessary to complete the deal (i.e., trade would put one team over their salary cap). Cash should not exceed the salary of the player(s) being traded. (Net salary remaining for the season, not the player's contract value for the season.)

Owners are expected to maintain appropriate levels on the minor league rosters, including no consistent use of 0(0) pitchers. (tentatively approved 10/2011)